Name: Alex Orji
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 235 lbs.
High school: Sachse (TX) Sachse
Position: Quarterback
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Orji #50 and said he would be a backup quarterback (LINK). He played in six games and ran 15 times for 86 yards.
TTB Rating: 55
Orji had a really weird odyssey last year as a quarterback, especially for one who is supposedly the heir apparent to the quarterback position. He started off the season as a deep backup who wasn’t allowed to pass the ball at the beginning of the season to . . .
. . . well . . .
. . . yeah, he was just never allowed to pass all year. Not even once.
I say that with one caveat, and that’s that there was a trick play – a QB pop pass call – against Alabama in the Rose Bowl where it looked like throwing the ball was a possibility, but Alabama covered it well so Orji kept it and ran. But it amounted to zero pass attempts.
Jim Harbaugh did praise Orji in the 2023 pre-season and say that Orji could be an outstanding kickoff returner.
Going into the 2024 season, Orji seems to be the betting favorite to win the quarterback position. As has been discussed here and elsewhere, Orji the freak athlete possesses a potential game-changing skill that nobody else has. None of the other quarterbacks have the arm strength of a Joe Milton or the speed of a Denard Robinson. What Orji has is a Tim Tebow-esque ability to be both a quarterback and a power runner. It remains to be seen whether Orji has the leadership or even the throwing ability of a Tebow.
Normally I would rank a starting quarterback higher than #8, but it’s not clear whether Orji will even start the opener, let alone hold onto a starting job. Walk-on Davis Warren has been pushing to start, and the most experienced guy on the roster is Utah/Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle, who was the #2 quarterback in 2023 but who has been unhealthy for the majority of his career. It will be interesting to see who starts at QB and whether that guy can hold onto the job throughout the year. But even if Orji ends up as the backup, he should have a package of plays as a rushing threat.
Prediction: Starting quarterback; 1,900 passing yards, 16 touchdowns; 500 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns
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